


The Board

by spikesgirl58



Series: Halloween Challenge 2020 [12]
Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:02:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27263191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spikesgirl58/pseuds/spikesgirl58
Summary: It's just a silly game.  What harm could come from it?
Series: Halloween Challenge 2020 [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1975084
Comments: 14
Kudos: 13





	The Board

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lindafishes8](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lindafishes8/gifts).



Illya Kuryakin paid just enough attention to where he was walking to keep from unceremoniously walking into a wall as he read. He’d done that a couple of times when he was new to UNCLE and suspected that Waverly questioned the Russian government upon their choice of recruits to send. After that, Illya had developed an almost sixth sense about walls.

He flipped the file closed and walked into the canteen. He wasn’t exactly hungry, but he could do with some coffee. While he’d been in New York for 48 hours, he was still on Danish time.

At this time of the day, the large room was fairly empty, except for one table in the far corner. There was a small group of people gathered around a table, laughing, groaning or clicking their tongues.

Illya smiled and helped himself to a cup of coffee. Right about now, the coffee could easily be mistaken for paint thinner, so he added a bit more sugar and a healthy dollop of cream.

“Hey, Illya!” April waved to him, beckoning him over. 

It felt good to get away from his desk and, truth be known, his partner for a short time. He respected and admired Napoleon Solo, but there were still moments when he couldn’t comprehend the man’s lack of professionalism. He’d spent a good part of the morning just trying to line up a date for the evening. All that effort when all Illya thought about was a quiet night at home with his book and his records, and perhaps a good bottle of whiskey. He had more _gammel dans_ k than he cared to admit.

He crossed the room quickly and smiled at his fellow Section Two agent. April was one of the first female agents and she was proving that women were more than tough enough to compete. 

“Yes, April, what is­--?” The crowd parted and Illya could see for the first time what all the fuss was about. A wave of déjà vu washed over him. He nearly dropped his coffee in his haste to back away. His breathing grew rapid and a sudden clammy sweat made him shiver. “Excuse me,” he mumbled and practically ran from the room.

“What the hell…?” Lizzie B’s face was a mask of confusion. “That was Kuryakin, the King of I Am Afraid Of Nothing, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, it was.” April stared after him. “Excuse me.”

“But it’s your turn.” Lizzie B held the planchette to her.

“I’ll pass. I want to see what’s going on with Illya.” Behind her, she could hear Lizzie B asking the Ouija board a question.

Illya glanced up at her from his seat at the empty conference table. It had been a whim on her part to look inside that room.

“Illya, are you okay?” She sat down beside him and smiled reassuringly at him. His answering smile raced from his lips almost the moment it appeared.

“I… apologize for my reaction. It was a long time ago and something I should be over now.”

“There are somethings that shake us to our core and never let us go. Was it the Ouija board?”

His nod was curt. “I was a young officer on my second tour in the Russian Navy. I was assigned to _Moskva_. It was a Stalingrad class war ship. We were in Vladivostok and had been granted shore leave. Because I was newly commissioned, I had to stay on board along with a skeleton crew.” He stopped and half closed his eyes. “It was just like today. I walked into the mess and a group of my comrades were huddled around a table. I longed to join then, but, of course, I couldn’t for they were enlisted and I was commissioned.”

“It made that much of a difference?”

“In this case, it was a matter of life and death.” Illya paused and studied his coffee cup as he stirred it. “However, I was interested so I wandered over. They had an Ouija board. It was against regulations, but we had loosened them because of leave. Antosha Ivanovich had been behind me a year and he was still a michman.”

“A what?” April reached out to still his hand and Illya looked up at her. This time the smile lingered.

“Not an officer. He was hotheaded and always seemed to be on report for something. He wasn’t a bad man, just impulsive and a little too aggressive at times. Good at war, not during peace.” Illya took a deep breath. “They were taking turns asking the board questions. That’s when I heard Antosha Ivanovich demand to know when was going to die.”

“You’re not supposed to ask questions like that.”

“Yes, well, Antosha Ivanovich didn’t play by the rules. I’m not sure what happened, but he got mad, either with the answer or a lack of it, I don’t know. He started screaming at the board. I think it startled his friends. I didn’t want to, but I knew it was my duty to step in. That’s when it happened.”

“What happened, Illya?”

“In the middle of a metal ship, in a room with metal chairs and tables, he burst into flame.”

“Did he knock over a candle or something?”

“Flame and ships don’t get along. We even had designated smoking areas. My Captain lost his brother because of an incident on a sister ship and he was doubly cautious.” 

“Then what happened?”

“We don’t know, but by the time we got the flames out, it was too late. He was all but gone. I… I looked back at the table and…” He trailed off and April stroked his arm.

“Are you okay? What happened”

Illya nodded. “We all concocted a story and they bought it. He was an orphan, so there were no questions and I think command was happy to be rid of him.” Illya pushed his cold coffee aside. “And now you know. Please, I am asking for your confidence in this.” April jumped to her feet. “What’s wrong?”

“I got an Ouija board to get rid of.”

Illya watched her race from the room and took a deep breath. What he didn’t tell her was when they looked back at the table, the planchette was moving all by itself. It spelled out _тепéрь же_. Right now.


End file.
